


Stranger

by KinkyKylies



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Attraction, F/M, Kimi flirting with Seb, Kimi's past, Love, M/M, Red Bull, Seb flirting with Kimi, Sebastian is lonely, Strangers, Vodka, alternative universe, going to a karaoke bar, hanging out with colleagues, taking the final step
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-22
Updated: 2017-03-06
Packaged: 2018-09-26 08:40:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9877136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KinkyKylies/pseuds/KinkyKylies
Summary: Working at Red Bull News is a commanding job, especially when you want to be the top employee. Making friends outside of the office is not easy and therefore ending up being alone is more often the rule than an exception. At least having a group of very close colleagues will lessen that loneliness for a bit, but will going out to a karaoke bar change things?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I intended this to be a Simi one shot according to the request I got, but when I started writing it got a bit bigger because I wanted to include a few more characters.
> 
> I try to finish the last part soon. I hope you'll like it though :)

It was another long day at work and Sebastian sighed when he looked at the clock hanging on the wall. It had already gone past seven and he wasn't even finished yet. He closed the file he was reading and rubbed his eyes as they had gone rather dry from staring at the sheets of paper. He had promised himself to never get a desk job, but he somehow ended up with one anyway. Judging from the faces of his colleagues, so had they. Everyone looked rather gloomy and he could hear people curse Helmut Marko under their breaths, as it was he who kept them in the office this late. With fresh reluctance Sebastian opened his drawer and neatly placed the folder back where it belonged. He was one of the only ones who was this organised and his colleagues often teased him because of that. He didn't really mind, no matter what he did, he always wanted to be as prepared and motivated as possible. He didn't like to slouch and always wanted to get the most optimal result and the best out of himself.

Sebastian let his eyes wander around the room and grinned when he spotted one smiling person among all the long faces. He shared his cubicle with this eager young aspiring journalist, although he wasn't that much younger than himself he had found out recently, and he didn't think that the guy had ever stopped smiling since his first day in office. Daniel was scribbling something down and in the meantime drummed his fingers on his desk on the rhythm of the music blasting in his ears. He stopped writing for a minute to demonstrate his air guitar skills and his smile widened when he spotted Sebastian looking at him.

He removed the headphones and peddled his office chair to Sebastian's side of the cubicle. 'You have to stay motivated somehow,' he said and shrugged his shoulders while spinning his chair around.

'I'm always motivated,' Sebastian said with raised eyebrows and he used his foot to stop Daniel from spinning, as it made him feel dizzy.

Daniel grinned and leaned back in his chair. 'I forgot you were Helmut's favourite for a minute,' he chuckled. He quickly moved his chair backwards as Sebastian had tried to kick him in response. 'Now now Seb, don't let Helmut see that!' Daniel mocked his colleague and he laughed. 'Not that you can do anything wrong,' he added in a more serious tone.

Seb scoffed and he looked at Daniel in disbelief. 'You've got the best results this year, the best ideas and everybody likes you while doing that. My last project failed, remember? I couldn't get the right sources and Helmut didn't like that. Also everybody hated me for always getting the best stories, I don't know how you do it,' he said while looking at the awards he had won hanging on the wall behind his desk. A sinking feeling in his stomach made its presence and he closed his eyes when he remembered all his successes the past years. The last four years he had ended up being the top employee with the best news stories and scoops that year. Christian Horner, his boss at Red Bull News, had even told him that he was the best employee the company had ever had. However, since Daniel had replaced Mark this year he had immediately impressed everyone, leaving Seb in the shadows.

A look of empathy was visible on Daniel's face and he put one of his hands on Seb's arm. 'Hey mate, don't talk yourself down like that. You mean a lot to Marko, to Red Bull even and without your help and guidance I wouldn't have been anywhere! We work together as a team, you know that right?' he said trying to encourage Seb. He ran his fingers through his brown curls and scratched his neck, while his eyes were still on his colleague.

Seb smiled weakly and he put down the pile of papers he had tried to rearrange. 'Thanks Dan,' he said and he really meant it. Although they were competing with each other for the best new stories, they were actually good friends. He was the hard worker, but Daniel had this natural ability to find the right people to use as his sources. Together they worked really well as a team though and when they were off work Daniel was really fun to hang out with. Working at Red Bull was hard work and it meant that they all didn't really have friends outside the office. Which meant they were all really close and Seb would almost call them family.

'Hey guys, the boss is letting us go. As it's already late, do you want to go for a pizza or something?' Jean-Éric had suddenly made an appearance out of nowhere and was now slapping his colleagues on their backs. He looked tired, but was eagerly awaiting the answers of his friends.

Daniel looked at Seb, who nodded in reply and then raised two thumbs as an answer. 'We're in Jev, is Danill also coming?' he asked while looking over Jev's shoulder, as if he thought Jev was hiding Daniil behind his back.

Jev laughed and like it was a cue Daniil walked into the cubicle at that moment. Jev put his arm around Daniil's shoulder, who looked a bit bewildered in reply as he didn't know what was going on. 'Of course Danill is coming, we're like the four musketeers, you know?' he said while looking fondly at Danill and then at the others again.

'You know it's the three musketeers, right?' Seb replied and he grinned when he saw the others roll their eyes. They always did that when he corrected one of them and he had to admit that happened quite frequently.

'Why are we friends with you again?' Daniel tried to look serious, but he couldn't hide his smile and within no time he was smiling  broadly again.

'Come on, we need to go before Helmut comes up with anything else to keep us here until midnight,' Daniil sounded a bit impatient and he picked up Daniel's bag from the floor and threw it onto Daniel's lap. 'I'm hungry,' he added.

'We noticed,' Daniel muttered under his breath and he dodged the stapler Daniil threw at him as a reply. When Danill didn't look Daniel picked up the stapler and kindly returned it by throwing it in Daniil's direction again.

Seb was packing his own bag and shook his head when he spotted his friends trying to murder each other. 'If you are done behaving like idiots, can we go?' he said impatiently, although the corners of his mouth had quirked up. This was exactly what he needed after a long and busy day, his friends always knew how to cheer him up. He had no one besides them, so they were more important to him than he would admit. The long lonely evenings at home from the last years had been replaced by evenings of laughter and fun when Daniel had moved up to his department. He had introduced him to his friends from his old department Jean-Éric, better known as Jev, and Daniil, better known as Dany, and they had all got on pretty well from the first time they had met. They often went out for dinner after a long day of work, went out to parties and other stuff guys their age would do.

'Says the one who always acts like an idiot whenever he spots a good looking guy,' Daniel replied looking smugly. He made eye contact with Jev and they shared a knowing look before grinning at Seb's now red face.

His cheeks were burning and Seb quickly looked around to see if anyone else of their colleagues had heard them. 'Shut it,' he hissed and he tried not to look too embarrassed. Damn it, was it really that obvious? Normally he was a very self-assured guy who did everything to get to his goals, but when it came to guys he turned into a blabbering weirdo. That was also the reason why he was alone for so long and he couldn't blame anyone for not wanting to be with someone like him.

'Don't worry, one day you'll meet someone who doesn't mind you naming your computer Suzie,' Jev said while trying not to laugh. He walked over to Daniel's desk and started to make it look less like a bomb had exploded there.

Seb grunted and he turned his back on his friends when he walked to his own desk. There was nothing to clean, but he didn't want the others to see that their words had hurt him. It was easy for them to tease him, as they were all very happy with their love life. Daniel had Jemma and Jev and Dany had each other. Seb looked sideways to see that Daniel had came to help Jev cleaning his desk and he saw Dany staring at Jev's butt with an approving smile on his face. How he wished he had someone to look at him like that, hell, to have someone to look at like that. He averted his eyes and focussed on putting all his stuff into his bag, maybe he was just destined to stay alone.

\----------

'I'm always impressed that a skinny guy like you can eat two whole pizzas in such a short time,' Daniel remarked and admiration was audible in his voice. He was staring at Seb who had just put the last piece of his second pizza in his mouth. The others were still not even half way with theirs and it looked like Dany had difficulties with the piece he was eating.

Seb shrugged his shoulders and looked from one to the other. 'What? I was hungry,' he said as if that was an explanation. He picked up his beer and drained the glass without looking at any of his friends. When he put it down again he waved to the waitress to order another one. 'Anyone else want anything?' he asked when the waitress had came to their table.

An evil grin appeared on Daniel's face and it was clear that he had something in mind. 'I would like four shots of Vodka, please,' he said while smiling at the waitress.

'NO,' was the unanimous answer from the other three. The waitress looked confused and stopped writing to look at Daniel again. It was clear that there was some kind of history here.

'Be quiet,' instructed Daniel his friends and when he turned back to the waitress he gave her his biggest smile. 'Don't mind them, they are all a bit mentally unstable you know,' he continued while trying to ignore the protests from the other guys. 'You know what, make it eight shots,' he smirked and he rubbed his hands together.

'You're dead,' was Dany's reply when the waitress had gone to make their order. He had narrowed his eyes and was now eying Daniel suspiciously. 'I haven't forget that last time where we ended up naked in the park.'

Daniel chuckled and raised his eyebrows. 'You don't like being naked?' he asked and he crossed his arms when he leant back in his chair. 'I can remember you liking it then,' he added with a twinkle in his eye.

'I'm glad you're not gay, otherwise I would have thought that you're trying to steal Dany from me,' Jev said while wrapping his arms around Dany and planting a kiss on his cheek.

'I like being naked very much, just not when the whole world is watching,' Dany explained while he cocked his head to one side, so that Jev was able to kiss his neck.

'You like being naked with me, right?' Jev said in a hush tone while he pressed little kisses on the now exposed skin of Dany's neck.

'Guys, just get a room will you!' Daniel exclaimed when Jev's hand had disappeared under the table. His eyes were wide as if he was surprised that his friends were doing exactly what he thought they were doing in public, while sitting at a table with their friends.

'Sorry, I got a little bit carried away. Blame Dany, it's not my fault he's looking so hot,' exclaimed Jev as he fixed his shirt and ran his fingers through his hair to look a little bit more decent. He sat up again and groaned when he spotted the waitress walking towards their table.

'Here we go,' Seb muttered when the waitress had put down the glasses on the table. At first he had been sceptical of Daniel's plan, but seeing Dany and Jev almost undressing each other made him desperate for some stronger alcohol. He was happy for his friends, of course, but it reminded him of how he hated to be alone. His chest had tightened and the aching feeling drowned out the happy voices of his friends. He picked up one of the Vodka shots and without saying anything downed the drink in one go. He wiped his mouth with his hand and put down the glass while he noticed his friends staring at him.

The other three hadn't even picked up their drinks and they exchanged looks of surprise. 'It seems like you needed it,' Daniel remarked and he looked up at Sebastian. 'Are you alright?' he asked when he spotted the sadness in Seb's eyes.

'Yeah, I'm fine. Don't mind me,' Seb responded with a weak smile. He couldn't bring himself to explain any further, he didn't want their pity anyway. He was already eyeing the second drink and he was suddenly glad Daniel had doubled their order.

'OK then, cheers!' Dany had picked up his own Vodka and couldn't look more Russian if he tried. 'One, two, go,' he said and they all drank at once, slamming their empty glasses back on the table.

When Seb looked up at the others he spotted the group at the next table getting up. They were clearly done eating and were readying themselves to leave. He didn't give them much attention as the effect of the Vodka started to set in. A comfortable fussy feeling took over his body and everything suddenly seemed a lot brighter and friendlier. However he was abruptly woken from that feeling and he felt his breath catch in his throat when a pair of icy blue eyes were suddenly staring into his own. It was so out of the blue that he had no time to process what was happening and the only thing he could do was stare back. They guy looked a few years older than he was, but he was still in amazing shape. He could see that, although the baggy clothes the man was wearing hid most of his body sadly. He was wearing simple jeans and a white shirt, but that was more than enough to make him the most handsome guy in the restaurant according to Seb. He could spot a few tattoos on his arms, although it was difficult to see what exactly they were from this distance.

'Hey, are you alright?' Daniel nudged Seb, who was sitting frozenly in his chair and had his eyes fixed on one particular space in the room.

He didn't even hear what exactly Daniel said as Seb had only eyes for the stranger. They eye contact had been brief, but it had definitely stirred something inside his stomach. He knew he was reading too much into it, but the way the stranger had looked at him had felt like something more than just a glance. It had been intense, like they had a shared understanding, and it felt like they had kept looking at each other a bit longer that you normally would do. He couldn't remember ever seeing a pair of eyes more beautiful and magical than the ones he had just drowned in. He swallowed and blinked a few times before he realised the stranger had gone. He scanned the room with his eyes, but there was no sight of him anymore. Shit. Not that he had dared approaching him anyway, but he had wanted to stare at the stranger a bit longer. The way his blonde hair totally suited his style, the loosely rolled up sleeves and the broad shoulders were a few things he would have wanted to study in more detail.

'Here, drink,' Jev put another shot of Vodka in front of Seb and waved his hand before Seb's face to get his attention. 'He was definitely very handsome, you have excellent taste,' he said with a grin on his face and he held his hand up for a high five.

'Hey, am I not enough for you anymore?' Dany said loudly and he pretended to pout.

Both Seb and Jev grinned and the latter blew a kiss to his boyfriend. Seb felt his face redden as a result from having been caught, although they at least hadn't made fun of him this time. He still was a bit overwhelmed by the sudden appearance and disappearance of the handsome stranger. His body had also responded in a lot of ways which weren't appropriate in a restaurant and he was glad that he could stay in his seat for now. He raised his drink in the air and when a quick look around didn't result in anything, looked back at his friends. When he downed his drink again he felt the alcohol burn in his throat and he loved the way it made him feel alive again. At least it made him feel something and with a sigh he joined the conversation of his friends.

'Look, a karaoke bar has just opened and it's only a few streets away from here,' Daniel was enthusiastically pointing at a flyer in his hands. There had been laying a few of them on their table and Daniel who was always interested in new information had flicked through them to find something interesting. He was holding the flyer in the air and was acting like he had been invited to have dinner with the Queen. 'So, what do you think?' he asked expectantly.

Jev looked at Dany, Dany then looked at Seb and Seb looked at Jev again, all in different stages of disbelief. Dany shook his head as if he was asked to run around naked in the streets and Jev just didn't know what to say as he was too shocked. Seb was only staring at Daniel, asking himself how Daniel was able to keep coming up with all these weird ideas.

Daniel looked helplessly at his friends when none of them responded. 'Come on guys, it will be fun, I swear,' he tried to convince them. He kept pointing at the flyer, as if that would explain how awesome his idea was. He then tried his puppy eyes look, as he always was quite successful with those and then got up from his chair to kneel down. When he was down on his knees he put his hands together and pushed out his bottom lip. 'Pleeeeease guys?' he tried again.

Seb laughed, his friend was definitely crazy, but that's what he liked about him. He at least didn't care about all the people who were staring at him right now, like he was some kind of madman. When Daniel started to bat his eyelashes Seb couldn't help himself but give in. 'Alright, I'll join you. Only if the others come too,' he grinned and he held out his hand so he could help Daniel get to his feet again. His friends were crazy.

Daniel turned his attention now to the other two. 'Please?' he smiled, looking like an overexcited child.

Jev sighed and his lips curved into a smile. 'Fine, we'll go with you. On one occasion though, if it sucks you'll pay for all the drinks,' he chuckled and he grabbed the flyer from Daniel's hand to read it.

Daniel seemed to think for a moment, but then held out his hand. 'Deal,' he said when Jev shook it. 'Come on, let's go then guys. It's time to get drunk and show the world how awful of singers we are!'


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said that this story was going to have two parts, but when I start writing everything automatically gets longer than intended, oops. I'm definitely not good at writing one shots, because there is going to be a third chapter. Although this time I'm sure that will be the last!
> 
> I hope you'll like it though and I would love to hear some feedback, as this is the first time including other F1 characters than Seb/Kimi in the story :)

It didn't take long before they had found the bar, as you couldn't really miss it. The building was painted red and the name was written in large white letters above the entrance. They stopped walking when they had reached the door. Jev peered through the large window, but dark curtains hid the space inside from the world outside.

'Iceman's Karaoke,' Daniel read out loud and he looked at Seb. 'Iceman. Weird name, right?' he asked.

'Guys, I don't know if this is such a good idea,' Dany then said and he indeed looked really unsure. 'I don't want to sound rude, but it looks a bit like a brothel,' he said with hesitation in his voice. 'Are you really sure it's just a normal karaoke bar?' he asked Daniel.

Daniel pulled out the now creased flyer from his pocket and tried to find an indication of the bar being anything else than just a karaoke bar. 'It looks alright mate, I don't know,' he said while putting his hands in the air.

'There's only one way to find out then,' Seb suggested and he walked to the door. He turned back to his friends when he noticed they hadn't followed him. 'Guys?' he asked and he grinned when he spotted the indecisiveness in their eyes. Sometimes they were just big babies and then they dared making fun of him for not being as direct with people as they were. He had to admit though that he also felt a whole lot more adventurous than he normally would have, as the four shots of Vodka definitely had an effect on him. It felt good to let himself go and leave the pressure of work behind. He loved his job, but it often felt like it prevented him from living his life to the fullest. He just wanted to break free from all of that for one night and for once do things he would probably end up regretting the next morning.

With his mind already on more alcohol Seb pushed open the door and signed the others to follow him. Reluctantly they followed him inside and they all sighed in relief when the bar looked completely normal and there were no half-naked women in sight. With newly found confidence Seb walked over to the bar and asked the barman for another round of shots. They all had given up on being responsible and they already had put some money aside for the cab back home. When Seb looked around he noticed the bar almost being completely full, it seemed like there had apparently been a need for this concept in the neighbourhood. The audience was quite diverse, although the amount of women of a certain age seemed to be the largest group.

'I'm so relieved,' Dany pushed himself between Seb and Jev and he looked a lot happier than he had been outside.

'Yeah, naked women is a bit too much to handle for you,' Daniel laughed and he patted Dany on the shoulder. 'I on the other hand, am a bit disappointed,' he added while he looked around him.

'Don't let Jemma hear you. Although there seem to be quite a few women interested in you already,' Jev joked and he waved at a few older ladies sitting at the bar who were eying the group with interest. They waved back eagerly and Jev winked while he pointed at Daniel.

Daniel turned a bright shade of red and pushed Jev so that he almost fell over. 'I forgot how much of an asshole you can be. This is what I get for all those years working together with you?' he hissed while he turned his back on the women who were still trying to get his attention.

At that moment the barman put the Vodka shots on the bar and Seb eagerly handed them out to his friends. 'Come on, drink up. Then we can decide on a song and put ourselves on the list,' he said happily.

'Cheers!' they clunk their glasses together and it resulted in Jev almost dropping his, he was just in time to save it. They all pulled disgusted faces when their glasses were empty, because the Vodka was a lot stronger than the previous one.

Seb turned around to look at the small podium which was positioned next to the bar and smiled sympathetically when the two guys performing looked a little bit too drunk to be on the stage. They tried to sing Livin' on a Prayer, but were both very out of tune and they were too busy trying to stay on their feet. He could see though that they were both good looking, although he preferred the blonde one with the blue eyes. The other looked a bit too bling-bling for his liking, with his flat brim cap, golden chains and too much tattoos on his arms. The blonde one was dressed very stylish and seemed to totally feel the song, although he didn't know all the right words. He grinned, this would totally be them after a couple of more shots.

Daniel had left the bar and made his way over to the guy who was handling the karaoke requests. When he came back his smug smile gave away that this wasn't going to be good in any way. 'I think we will be awesome,' he said when he leaned nonchalantly against the bar. 'Stefano seemed to approve of my choice,' he grinned and he bit his lip while trying not to laugh.

'Who's Stefano?' Dany asked when he couldn't really follow Daniel. He looked at Jev, but he also shrugged his shoulder to show he didn't know who he was.

With his eyebrows raised Daniel pointed at the guy who was handling the songs. 'That's Stefano Domenicali, he kind of runs the bar every night,' he explained. He tried to ignore the women who were still sitting at the bar as they were trying to get his attention again. They thought he was looking at them and Daniel didn't know how quickly he could turn back again. 'We're next by the way,' he said happily and he clapped his hands in excitement.

'I'm not going on stage if I don't know what where going to sing. I don't want to embarrass myself more than is necessary,' Seb said and he planted his hands on his hips. He wasn't going to sing some silly love song or any David Hasselhoff songs. Looking at Jev and Dany they seemed to think the same and they shared a look of desperation. Daniel never felt things like embarrassment and that caused them ending up in many unconventional situations sadly. He chuckled when he remembered that time when Daniel had decided it would be a good idea to strip down to his underwear while dancing on a bar. 

'Next up are the four musketeers,' suddenly sounded across the bar and Daniel couldn't stop laughing when he spotted Seb's face after hearing the name he had chosen for their act.

Seb gasped in exasperation and couldn't believe his friends where this stubborn. He was glad that Dany had just ordered another round of Vodka and the alcohol made him join in with the laughter of his friends. He couldn't give a fuck at the moment anymore, he didn't mind if there were three musketeers or twenty.

He followed the others to the podium and had totally forgotten that he wanted to know the song they were going to sing. It took a little bit more of an effort to climb the stage, but in the end he found himself between Daniel and Jev in the middle of the podium. They were each handed a microphone and Daniel was already trying different weird voices to test his. Seb could only smile, because Daniel was practically just a very big child and the crowd in the bar seemed to love him already. Just like everyone else always did, even the ice cold Helmut Marko. Not wanting to let thoughts about work spoil his evening, he let his eyes wander around the room. He spotted the two guys who were on stage before them in a corner and they seemed to do more than just discuss their performance. His eyes widened since he hadn't pictured these two together, they had looked like complete opposites. It seemed like the stylish blonde didn't mind the gold chains then, as he was currently pushing the dark skinned guy against the wall while kissing him passionately.

'As long as you know I'm not going to do that with you when we're done with our song,' Daniel had nudged Seb and pointed at the two in the corner.

'You're not my type anyway,' Seb retorted and he made sure to put his hand over the microphone. He stuck his tongue out at Daniel and looked at Jev and Dany, but they didn't seem to have noticed what was going on in that corner.

Daniel folded his arms and looked crossly at Seb like he had just insulted him. 'I'm everyone's type,' he exclaimed and he bulged his muscles to back up that statement.

'Nah, maybe if you were blonde and had blue yes,' Seb smirked and he was glad that at that moment the music started to play. Although he immediately felt his heart sink, what on earth had Daniel been thinking? He wished the ground beneath his feet would disappear and judging from the groans coming from his colleagues they were on his side. 'You're so dead,' he whispered in Daniel's direction.

They all didn't really knew the words to the song, but Daniel made the stage his own anyway. After the first part of the song the others started to give in to the unavoidable embarrassment and joined Daniel in acting like a newly discovered boy band. Jev and Dany acted like the backup singers and Daniel and Seb decided on being a duo. When the chorus came they finally knew the words to sing along and they used all their lung capacity to uncoordinatedly shout the right words in the microphone. 

'Sex bomb, sex bomb, you're a sex bomb. You can give it to me, when I need to come along. Sex bomb, sex bomb, you're my sex bomb. And baby you can turn me on.'

Seb was singing the final part of the chorus when he suddenly felt rooted to the spot. He lowered his microphone and stopped singing. The air escaped from his lungs and he could only stare, the music was completely drowned out and he could only hear some vague ringing in his ears. He almost dropped the microphone and his eyes were like saucers, he had totally forgotten where he was or what he was doing. He only had eyes for him, for his piercing blue eyes, his blonde hair, his broad shoulders, his rolled up sleeves and his still unidentified tattoos. His mouth had suddenly gone dry and he felt his hands starting to sweat when he noticed the stranger was staring at him too, just like he had done in the restaurant. The stranger didn't looked bothered at all and the smallest of smiles was playing on his lips. He had his hands in his pockets and he was leaning against the bar, where a glass of Vodka had just been put in front of him by the barman.

'Seb, what are you doing? Sing!' Daniel brought Seb back to earth when the latter had been staring into space without singing. He put his arm around Seb and brought him back to the front of the stage, where a lot of enthusiastic people where dancing. The crowd didn't really seem to have noticed Seb's lack of participation, but Daniel immediately noticed that something was up with his friend.

The stranger was still staring into Seb's eyes and it looked like he was challenging him, although Seb didn't really know what for. His heart was beating uncomfortably fast and when the stranger ran his fingers through his hair, exposing his toned stomach in the process, he felt blood rushing to his face. Also to some other parts of his body, but he tried to ignore that. It had been a very long time since anyone had made him feel like this and it was totally ridiculous, because he didn't even know the stranger. He didn't know his name, his background or even how his voice sounded. He was curious though, because he didn't really look like a local. He bit his lip to distract himself, but the stranger replied to that by giving him a subtle wink. Damn it, he wasn't imagining things was he? He knew he had too much alcohol in his blood to really think straight, but he couldn't forget his friends words from earlier that day. He knew he was rubbish when it came to guys, but it was different with this stranger.

'Sebby, time for your solo!' Daniel slurred and clearly the alcohol had gone to his head. He grabbed Seb's hands and pushed him to the front while he started some of his awful dance moves.

Still the stranger was staring at him and that caused Seb a sudden urge to prove himself, as well as an inexplicable boost in confidence. He took a deep breath and grabbed his microphone firmly while still not breaking the eye contact with the handsome stranger. When Daniel loudly introduced him to the crowd he waited for the first notes of the chorus. A loud applause arose when he pumped his fist in the air and he couldn't help but smile when he heard his cue.

'Sex bomb, sex bomb, you're a sex bomb,' he sang with his best impression of a seductive voice. He heard cheering coming from behind him and when he looked over his shoulder he saw Daniel had raised his thumbs and Jev was jumping up and down while looking highly impressed with his friend. Seb winked at them, which resulted in more encouraging cheering and focussed his attention back on the crowd.

'Sex bomb, sex bomb, you're my sex bomb,' he continued and he spotted a few older women almost fainting when he shot them a cheeky smile and a wink. It didn't feel uncomfortable at all to be the centre of attention in this setting, especially because a pair of blue eyes were still definitely fixed on him. Feeling a bit more adventurous and also aroused by the way the stranger was now slowly licking his lips he walked over to the edge of the stage closest to where the stranger was leaning against the bar. The look of surprise on that handsome face was only encouraging him and when he sang his next line he looked directly in those steely eyes again.

'And baby you can turn me on,' he pointed at the stranger when the words rolled from his tongue and with a twinkle in his eye winked and smiled mischievously at a now stunned face. He could see the stoic expression had slightly disappeared and there was a kind of eagerness now visible in those piercing eyes. Damn, that made him look even hotter. He felt his breathing getting heavier and he couldn't tear his eyes away from the stranger. He tried to seductively bite his lip and he could see it had worked when he saw the stranger grabbing hold of the barstool to steady himself. With a smirk and another wink Seb turned around and walked back to his friends to finish the song together.

'Damn, I never knew you could flirt like this!' Daniel looked sincerely surprised and impressed. He slapped Seb on his back and mouthed something that sounded like 'I'm proud of you.'  

Seb could only laugh and shrug his shoulders in reply, although he felt kind of proud of himself. He had never done something like this and he didn't even know why he had dared to do it this time. It felt good though, as if a new fire had awoken inside him. He couldn't get the smug smile of his face and everything suddenly seemed a lot brighter. It felt like he could do anything tonight if he put his mind to it and automatically his eyes were drawn back to the stranger. He was fiddling with the collar of his shirt and seemed a bit hot judging from the small drops of sweat on his forehead. He could see the Vodka as well as a second shot had disappeared and it seemed like he wasn't the only one using alcohol to cope with things.

When they finally sang the last words of the song the crowd burst into loud applause. A few where even wolf whistling and with broad grins they all took a bow, and another one, and another one. When the cheers had finally died down they left the stage, gladly accepting the bottles of water Stefano handed to them.

Daniel pulled them all into a hug and almost crushed them in the process. 'That wasn't too bad, right?' he said while still full of adrenaline.

'Although it hurts to admit it, yeah, you were right,' Jev said and chuckled at Daniel who had thrown his arms in the air and acted like he had just won a boxing match.

'I'll pay for the next round of drinks, as you won your bet,' Dany added and he held out his hand for their secret handshake which, of course, Daniel had came up with.

Daniel nodded appreciatively and pushed back one of the brown curls that had stuck to his sweaty forehead. Suddenly the corners of his mouth quirked up and it seemed like he remembered something. 'There was a clear winner tonight though,' he said and he took another sip of his water.

'Who?' Dany asked, as he didn't really understand what Daniel had meant.

'Seb of course,' Daniel said as if that was as obvious as water being wet. He nudged Seb and pulled him into another hug while rubbing his hair like you would with a little kid. 'I'm so impressed, he never told us he could actually flirt! I mean, he was undressing that guy with his eyes, I'm serious,' he added sounding excited as well as proud.

'Oh, yeah, I noticed that. It's that I'm already taken, but otherwise I would have totally fallen for that attempt,' Jev laughed. 'Wasn't that the same guy from the restaurant?' he asked and he looked back at the bar to check the stranger again.

'It was,' Seb admitted and he suddenly felt a bit unsure. The praise of his friends was not something he was used to, because often people only mocked him if he achieved something. 'Guys, you're over exaggerating, it was nothing special,' he said while sounding a bit crestfallen. It had felt so good on the stage, but now being back in reality made him suddenly feel ashamed of his behaviour. What on earth had he been thinking? Everyone had been looking at him, he had let himself get too carried away.

'Oh no, that guy was totally in to you. I could tell,' Jev remarked when he spotted the sudden change on Seb's face. 'I swear. If I was you I would go after him, he seemed totally your type and he was definitely very handsome,' he grinned and he looked at the others for back up.

'Why would he want anything from me?' Seb replied, feeling more insecure with the second. He was not made for this, he really wasn't. At work he had no problems using his charm, he was very easy with handling important people and getting the conversations going with his humour, but this was something different. This was far more than just harmlessly flirting to get information from people, the way this guy had made him feel from the first moment he had seen him meant something else. Something he was longing for since as long as he could remember, but at the same time was so afraid of. It meant making himself vulnerable, something he always tried to avoid. Working at Red Bull News had given him thick skin, but that was only because he had learned to turn off his emotions. Something he definitely wasn't able to do right now, because just looking at the stranger made him go weak at the knees.

Daniel's smile disappeared from his face and he sighed. He looked at Seb with sympathy and had the air of a father comforting a child. 'Oh come on Seb, you're a catch. You're smile makes everyone's heart melt, you're ridiculously good looking and you're also very smart and funny. If he doesn't like you, he's deluded,' he rolled his eyes and grabbed hold of both Seb's shoulders. 'You just have to believe that yourself, because anyone would be lucky to have you,' he concluded with an encouraging smile.

With a weak smile Seb looked at his friend and when the other two also spoke their words of encouragement he felt a warmth spread through his body. He was lucky to have such good friends, they were always there to pick him up again. He observed them discussing their performance and chuckled when they used their arms to imitate how the old women in the crowd had danced. He felt his attention slipping away though and when he let his eyes wander he suddenly stared into a pair of icy blue eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a request to give some insight in Kimi's background, so that's why I decided to write an extra chapter to adress this :)   
> I hope you'll like it!

With each time their eyes connected it became more intense. The eyes of the stranger seemed to tell a story, although Seb could see that it wasn't all about sunshine and rainbows. A certain sadness and pain was visible hiding behind the stoic expression and it made Seb wonder what had caused those emotions to be embedded in his eyes. It made him want to know more about the stranger, he didn't want him to be a stranger any longer. The hunger that was also visible in those eyes reflected what he was radiating himself. The attraction only grew larger the longer he was captivated by the nonchalant half smile that curved the stranger's lips in the smallest way possible and the way his eyes seemed to sparkle darkly despite his attempts to keep his emotions hidden from the world.

His thoughts seemed to have a mind of their own and that caused his eyes to wander to other parts of the strangers body more than once. He could now finally see what the tattoos on his arms were, a tribal on his right wrist and on his left arm a word that he couldn't read from this angle. He fantasised about exploring that delicate looking skin with his fingertips and listen to the stranger explaining the tattoos to him. It made him also curious to what was hidden beneath that shirt he was wearing, because maybe there would be more tattoos hidden underneath it. In any case, he expected the same soft porcelain white skin as the rest of his body, but he imagined it being a lot more muscular. Another twitch in his stomach approved of that thought and he couldn't think of how gorgeous and hot he would be looking without his shirt on. Damn it, he was losing control of himself. For God's sake, he was fantasising about a complete stranger while that stranger was still looking at him.

It also seemed that it hadn't really gone unnoticed, as the stranger was smirking and then subtly winked before turning around and accepting another Vodka from the barman. Fuck, although it also somehow massively turned him on, because it didn't seem like the stranger minded Seb so obviously checking him out. The fact that he now had the perfect view of the back of the stranger didn't help in the slightest as his eyes were immediately drawn to the perfectly shaped butt of the stranger. He was leaning his arms on the bar and thereby causing his behind to sticking out a bit further than normal and so providing the best view possible for Seb. He swallowed with difficulty and his heart was now beating painfully fast, while he tried to ignore the urge to just walk over there and put his hands on the stranger's body. His cheeks were hot and he felt flustered, he didn't understand how the stranger could look so unbothered while he looked like a mess. He caught the stranger's eyes again and a mischievous smile told him that he was totally doing this on purpose, he was playing with him.

'Do you want something else to drink?' Daniel was now standing next to Seb.

The connection between Seb and the stranger was broken and Seb sighed in frustration, damn Daniel and his timing. 'No, I'm fine,' he answered and tried not to be frustrated with his friend, he hadn't known what was going on.

'Your loss mate,' Daniel grinned when he spotted Seb's attention already switching to something else and the light reflecting his white teeth made his smile look even broader

Seb didn't know if Daniel meant the drink or something else, but the knowing smirk now appearing on the Australian's face kind of gave him an impression. He then felt a sudden urge to pee and took that as an opportunity to escape everything for a moment.

All his senses were triggered and he felt his hands were still shaking when he stood in the small space of the bathroom. When he had emptied his bladder he looked at his reflection in the mirror and was surprised that he still looked normal. He didn't know what exactly he had expected, but for a moment he thought he saw a flash of pale blue in the mirror, instead of the dark blue from his own eyes. It was clear that something was messing with his mind and he shook his head while he grabbed the sides of the sink to get a grip on himself again. After a few minutes he finally felt in control again and with another swift look in the mirror made his way back to the source of very out of tune music.

\----------

Dany and Jev had found two barstools and were now hanging on the bar as the high alcohol consumption made it a bit harder for them to keep their balance. Next to them were the stylish blonde and the guy with the golden chains, and the four of them were engaged in a conversation. When Seb joined the group he quickly found out they were judging the current act on the podium. On stage were two guys, one clearly a few years older than the other, but both were clearly good friends. Seb tried his best to ignore them totally screwing up the piece of art that was called 'We are The Champions' by Queen, but it almost physically hurt him.

'Hey Seb, these are our new friends. This is Nico,' Jev pointed at the stylish blonde, 'and this is Lewis,' he explained when he pointed out the other guy.

Seb smiled and held out his hand. 'Hi, nice to meet you. We saw your performance,' he said as a way to start the conversation. They looked friendly as far as he could tell, because they both shook his hand in between fits of laughter.

Tears were running down Lewis' face and Nico almost fell off his chair. 'I'm sorry, you must think we're crazy. Our performance was dreadful, but our friends aren't doing any better though,' Lewis said when he caught his breath again.

Seb raised his eyebrows in amusement and turned back to look at the two guys. 'You know these guys?' he asked.

Lewis put his hands on his head when he had noticed the two guys on stage now doing pirouettes. 'Yes, unfortunately,' he said, although he didn't sound disappointed at all. 'Jenson and I used to work at the same hospital,' he explained, 'although I have to admit that we don't look that smart at the moment.'

Dany and Jev were now cheering on the guys on stage and had decided this was a perfect opportunity to start dancing. Jev pulled Dany on his feet and they gave a quick wave before they disappeared to the stage. Seb chuckled, this evening was so much more fun that he thought it would be. He turned his attention back to the two guys who were still there. 'What do you all do at the hospital?' he asked and he was genuinely interested.

This time it was Nico who answered and he pointed at the stage. 'Jenson, that's the older of the two, is one of the best cardiac surgeons there is. He's even won a highly regarded award a few years back, so he's no slouch,' he began and a small grimace was visible on his face. 'The other one is Kevin, he just started as a cardiac surgeon, and has a promising future. Jenson took him under his wing and he's very eager to learn. They work at the McLaren hospital in Woking,' he explained. 'Until last year Lewis also used to work there, he ran the cardiovascular department together with Jenson. He introduced us all and we are good friends now,' he said while with an incredulous shake of his head looked at the persons on stage he called his friends. 'So, then there's me. Just like the others I'm also a cardiac surgeon and Lewis' colleague,' he continued before he was interrupted by Lewis.

'Hey, I'm not important enough to mention my award? I know Jenson is the most recent one who won that award and it's a long time ago, but I'm still seen as the best cardiac surgeon in the country,' Lewis said accusingly and he poked Nico in the ribs. 'I thought I was more important to you than this,' he sulked.

Nico sighed with a tired look on his face, this clearly wasn't the first time a conversation like this occurred. 'OK, Lewis is our back-up show pony, when Jenson is unavailable,' he smirked.

Lewis pressed his lips together, not really impressed by his friend. 'Tsk, is that the best you can do? You haven't won anything yet, so that's that,' he said with a cheeky smile. It was clearly not an insult, but it showed there was some kind of history there.

'Can you stop pointing that out please?' Nico almost looked embarrassed. 'My last research was very well received, but I didn't have the same resources as you all, so then it's a bit harder to impress,' he explained further although sounding very dejectedly. 'As you know I'm nominated for that award this year, just like you. Since I do have the right resources now, I showed you all that I'm on the same level as you,' he said with determination audible in his voice and he straightened his back to come across more self assured and that he was up for the fight.

This all sounded way too familiar and Seb chuckled when he thought of himself and Daniel, they had the same rivalry going on. However, he could see the way Lewis and Nico looked at each other and it was clear they really loved each other. They had found a way to make it work, despite chasing the same goals, something he found very impressive.

Lewis had whipped out his phone and was now recording the last part of Jenson's and Kevin's act while giggling like a little girl. 'I'm sending this to Jessica, Jenson is so going to kill me,' he said without sounding even remotely sorry. 'I think it's important for her to know all the different sides of her guy, right?' he asked his companions.

Nico quickly directed his attention to Seb and there was a sudden fear in his eyes. 'If Jenson asks, I'm not an accomplice,' he said while holding his hands in the air to show his innocence.

Seb laughed at the ridiculous expression on Nico's face, which earned him an approving look from Lewis. At that moment Daniel joined their group and he sat down next to Lewis, he clearly had already been introduced to them. He seemed to be very excited about something and he didn't wait for them to say anything before sharing what he clearly wanted to get off his chest.

When he had torn his eyes away from Jev and Dany who were now dancing with a group of women Daniel turned his head towards Seb, which looked confused in return. 'I did some detective work for you on your guy,' he began and he obviously felt very proud of himself, judging by the look of self-satisfaction in his eyes. 'He's very single at the moment,' he said with an exaggerated wink, 'that means that he's not seeing someone.'

These words made for a jump of Seb's heart and something inside his stomach stirred, while he felt his cheeks turning hot. 'I know what being single means, thanks,' he answered sarcastically, trying to divert their attention from his reaction to Daniel's words. The stranger was single, damn. His mouth had suddenly gone dry and when he looked around to get a glimpse of the stranger, he couldn't find him. Disappointed he tried to ignore his heart hammering and he took a few deep breaths to get rid of that feeling.

Lewis had raised his eyebrows and Daniel's words had grabbed his attention. He was looking from Daniel to Seb and tried to figure out what was going on, because Daniel was looking eager and the red cheeks of Sebastian didn't need much explaining. 'OK, who's the guy? We're regulars here,' Lewis said while looking at Nico for confirmation. 'If you can call it that though, because the bar has only been open for three months,' he grinned when Nico nodded convincingly.

'We know all the ins and outs,' Nico added mysteriously and when he looked past Seb his mouth suddenly turned into an understanding smile. He poked Lewis and pointed at something behind Seb's shoulder, which resulted in the same expression on Lewis face. 'I think we've found the guy. You've got your eye on the Iceman,' Nico squealed in excitement.

Daniel looked up at Nico. 'Iceman? Isn't that the name of the bar?' he asked with his brow furrowed. He also looked past Seb, but lacked the discreetness of Nico and Lewis, which resulted in him making eye contact with the stranger. The stranger noticed the group looking at him and this caused an even blanker expression on his face.

Lewis laughed and waved at the stranger, who ignored him in response. 'It's the very same name. Kimi owns the bar, but his nickname is Iceman, so that's where the name comes from,' he explained while still observing the guy who couldn't keep his eyes off Seb.

He repeated the name several times in his head, it was a name that definitely fit the stranger according to Seb. Kimi, so the stranger now had finally a name. Iceman, which meant he was the owner of the bar, that was kind of weird. He didn't seem at all like a guy who enjoyed karaoke, so he had to admit that he was a bit surprised to hear that. Seb didn't dare turn around to look at Kimi though, because he was sure he was going to embarrass himself and even if he managed to act normally Daniel would find a way to do it for him. Therefore he kept his eyes straight and tried to ignore that feeling of satisfaction caused by the fact Kimi had apparently been staring at him. However, the boost of confidence made him sit up and straighten his back, as well as brought a satisfying smile to his face.

'I can't believe you've got the Iceman to notice you and even a greater achievement: like you,' Nico said in awe and he looked genuinely impressed. 'I mean, I tried my best, but it always seemed like he couldn't be bothered by anything,' he sighed and a glitter of disappointment was visible in his eyes. He ran his fingers through his perfect blonde hair and grinned when he saw Lewis expression. 'Don't worry, I wouldn't have tried anything. No one is better than you, you're my perfect guy,' he said affectionately and he cupped Lewis face.

Now it was Lewis turn to burn up and his cheeks turned a dark pink. He grabbed Nico's hand and when they gazed into each other's eyes it looked like a scene from a movie. 'I love you, you know that right?' Nico said in a soft voice. When Lewis nodded he pressed a tender kiss on Lewis' lips before turning back to the others. 'So, where were we?' he grinned smugly.

Daniel was giving Nico and Lewis a thumbs up before pointing at Seb and making a gesture which obviously meant he thought Seb and Kimi should do the same. 'Do you have some more information on the Iceman though, why is he called the Iceman for example?'

Lewis and Nico exchanged looks and the smiles had disappeared from their faces. Lewis seemed to turn some things over in his mind and it took a moment before he spoke. He wrung his hands and clearly was debating what to tell or what not to tell. 'I don't know if it's my story to tell, but he's not going to tell it himself anyway. I only know about it because Nico and Stefano told me, he seemed to have some history with Kimi,' he finally spoke.

The pity in Lewis' voice didn't go unnoticed by Seb and he suddenly felt his heart sink. What did he mean? He felt panic starting to rise, even if he didn't know what was going on and he didn't know anything else but the stranger's name. It felt like they knew each other already, like they had spent many hours in each other's company, while the conversation had flowed freely. He knew all that was ridiculous, but he couldn't explain the connection he felt between Kimi and himself. He was scared to hear what Lewis had to say, because he was afraid what those words would do to him.

After taking a sip of his drink, Lewis cleared his throat and looked up, still obvious feeling uneasy about the situation. 'As you might have guessed, Kimi is not from around here, he's actually from Finland. People will pass him on the street and not noticing him, but back in Finland he's a star. I mean, he was a star,' Lewis corrected himself with a painful expression. 'He started playing hockey at a young age and was soon discovered and hailed as a future talent by everyone. He was put into the national team in his early twenties and had immediate success. He was seen as one of Finland's best hockey players and was even the captain of the national team for years. That's when they gave him that nickname, Iceman, because of his performance on the ice, but also because of the lack of emotions he showed, nothing seemed to bother him. He has won everything in the leagues he played in, but somehow winning the World Championship always slipped through his fingers. It was only in 2007 that Finland finally became World Champions again because of a spectacular goal from Kimi. He was Finland's national hero and internationally praised, but from then on it went downhill,' Lewis voice trailed off and he looked at Nico, clearly wanting him to take over.

In the mean time Sebastian was holding his breath, he couldn't believe that Kimi was actually someone famous. He wasn't very familiar with hockey, but he knew that in many countries the sport was a very big deal. So far the story Lewis had told was very positive and he dreaded what was coming. He remembered the sadness and darkness hiding in those piercing blue eyes and he knew there had to be something. Also the way he presented himself to the world seemed a bit off, showing only the slightest of emotions and being on his own for most of the evening. He wasn't sure if it was just a facade or if it was all there was to him, and if he had always been that way or that it was the result of life intervening.

With another look at Kimi now sitting in silence at the bar again Nico continued where Lewis had left off. 'I grew up knowing about him, because I'm half Finnish myself,' Nico began and he grinned when he saw Daniel's and Sebastian's faces. 'I know, not many people see it coming to be fair. My mother is German and my father is Finnish, he's also a very well known cardiac surgeon. So no pressure on me,' he added while he clenched his jaws. 'To continue the story, I experienced Kimi's glory days and always admired him massively. So I watched as many games as I could, mostly together with my father and therefore also watched _that_ specific game,' he stopped talking and scratched his neck. 'It was just another game in the NHL and Kimi's team was quite comfortably leading, so nothing out of the ordinary. Kimi was just about to score when an opponent misjudged his defence and skated right into Kimi. He fell and ended up being pressed between his opponent and the boarding. It wasn't deliberate and it didn't look that bad from the perspective from a bystander, but when he didn't move at all we knew it was bad.'

Sebastian felt his insides turn to ice and an uncomfortable feeling tightened his chest. He closed his eyes and the images of Kimi laying down, injured and not moving almost looked real in his head. When he opened them again he had turned himself around before he could think, he needed to see if Kimi was still there. For some reason he thought he was going to see Kimi like the pictures in his head, but he was still sitting safely on his barstool and observing the next act on the stage. Seb sighed a breath of relief, although he knew he was being stupid, it still somehow felt really important to know if he wasn't hurt in any way.

Nico shot Seb an sympathetic look and continued explaining. 'Within no time all kinds of important people were by his side, but it was all broadcasted live on television. He never gained consciousness and when they started compressions we all knew it was serious. The panicked faces of even the doctors told us more than what was said during a press conference soon after. I wasn't a doctor back then, as I was only a few years into my study, but my father told me that he wasn't sure if he was going to make it. They managed to restart his heart, but all his other injuries weren't known yet, so we even then didn't know how bad it actually was,' Nico sighed and he took another sip of his drink. This gave him some time to think and they all automatically looked at the Fin sitting behind them.

'The whole country was in shock, they almost saw their hero die on TV. It was only much later that we learned he had broken his back and at that moment was paralyzed from the waist down. The doctors didn't know if the paralysation was permanent, or just a result from the swelling compressing his spine, but at least he was stable. For a few days the country couldn't speak about anything else, but they all realised that this would probably be the end of his successful and promising career. In the mean time there was no statement or any message coming from Kimi and it was only after a few months that we found out he had to go through massive physiotherapy. Apparently he couldn't walk anymore and it took him two years to get back on his feet, while he had to watch himself being replaced in his team,' Nico sighed when he remembered that particular part of information.

'That must have been awful, trying to be able to walk again and than seeing someone taking your place in what you love doing the most,' Seb remarked and the look of horror on his face showed his thoughts. He couldn't believe that someone had to go through that, to almost lose your life and then finding out that you as might well lose what your whole life's about. He couldn't imagine what it would be like if he lost his job at Red Bull News and he was left spending his days alone in his tiny crappy apartment without having anything to live for. He felt his heart ache, not for himself, but for Kimi. He was dying to know though what had happened next, so he encouraged Nico to continue by using his eyes.

'It was therefore also a shock that after two years there was suddenly an announcement that he would be returning to competition. He received a lot of praise and people expected him to be on the same level as before, because people always seemed to believe in miracles. He returned to his old teams, but when his comeback didn't go as well as everyone was expecting of him, they became critics. People were questioning his commitment and thought he had lost his shine, he didn't seemed to care though. At some point his position in the national team and the team he competed with in the NHL were under threat and there was a lot of pressure on him. People seemed to forgot that he wasn't able to walk only two years before, they didn't give him a chance to reinvent and develop himself again. It was painful to watch and as a result Kimi seemed to disconnect himself from the world more and more with every game going by. When he was finally dropped from the teams, he was only a shadow of his former self and people were using him as laughingstock,' Nico shook his head in disbelief and it was clear that he couldn't believe people could be so cruel.

'That's when he decided to leave Finland and come here, to live in anonymity and also to not be reminded everyday what he has lost. According to Stefano he had shown up one day at their bosses door and asked for a job and he gave one to him. He has run several premises successfully and this is his first own project. In the short time it has been open it has turned into one of the most popular bars in town,' Nico concluded and he was finally able to smile again. He grabbed Lewis hand and looked at Seb and Daniel, who were still stunned by the story Nico had just told them.

Leaning against the bar made Seb question his own life. All those times he had complained about people not liking him at work, winding himself up because Daniel was now their favourite, they were all stupid reasons when he thought about it now. He hadn't experienced any difficulties in his life in comparison to Kimi and he didn't really know what injustice or disappointment was. He didn't even know what to say at the moment as no words seem to be the right ones. He had the odd desire to just get up and walk over to Kimi and say something, but say what exactly? The fact that he had escaped to England in the first place suggested that he probably wouldn't like strangers coming up to him and discuss the worst part of his life. Seb sighed and tried to think of another reason to just walk up to Kimi, but the only thing he could come up with was cowardice. The confidence he had felt on stage had disappeared and only an unsettling feeling in his stomach was left.

Suddenly Seb was nudged in the ribs by Daniel. 'Look, Seb!' he said excitedly with his eyes wide in surprise and he pointed at the stage.

When Seb followed Daniel's instructions and turned his head so that he could look at the stage, his mouth fell open. No, this certainly couldn't be. He was so stunned by what he saw that he couldn't even say something back to Daniel, the only thing he could do was stare at the podium.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, the promised last part of this little story!  
> The song used was suggested by the lovely @CustardCreamies and is definitely not something I would imagine Kimi singing ever, haha!
> 
> I hope you like it though, it would love to hear your what you all think :)

There he was, sitting on a barstool which had been placed in the middle of the podium. With one foot on the floor and the other hooked around a leg of the stool Kimi looked totally relaxed. His laid back attitude hadn't faltered and the nerves Seb had felt being on stage didn't seem to affect Kimi in the slightest. He was just humming along with the intro of the song and was tapping his fingers on his leg, whilst in the other hand holding the microphone. Seb's eyes were still as wide as saucers, because this wasn't something he had ever expected to see. From observing Kimi all night, the story Lewis and Nico had told him and the little moments there had been between them had given him a different impression of the Finn. He seemed to prefer staying low-key and his lack of social interaction all night had bothered Seb the whole time. Even from only the short moments in which they had acknowledged each other he had found himself being intrigued by Kimi. They way he put his hands into his pockets, the sunglasses he had worn while being inside, his simple style of clothing and even the way he drank his Vodka. He didn't understand why other people didn't seem to notice that.

So Seb was taken aback by the fact that Kimi had chosen to be the centre of attention, but the fact that Kimi owned this bar told Seb that this probably wasn't something out of the ordinary. This made his desire to get to know Kimi even greater, because he kept surprising him, even when they hadn't exchanged a single word yet. He looked sideways to Daniel, the Australian looked to be as amazed by the situation as he was himself and he was glad that it wasn't only in his head. It was then that he heard a voice that made the hairs of his neck stand up. He slowly turned back to the stage and swallowed when he saw that it was indeed Kimi's voice he had heard. It was just like he had expected it to be, low, with an accent and he seemed to string his words together, which made it harder to understand.

'You got that thing that I been looking for. Been running around for so long,' were the words Kimi sang, although singing was a strong word. He didn't seem to bother with the melody, so what song he actually was singing was hard to understand. It was also like he didn't notice the crowd, because he seemed to be in his own world.

Not being able to tear his eyes away from the stage, Seb also seemed to have forgotten about everyone around him. A lot of people wouldn't notice, but he saw the change in Kimi's eyes. They were darker, but at the same time he could see that the sadness was less visible this time around. At that moment their eyes locked and he drew a sharp intake of breath, being caught off guard by that intense stare.

'Now I caught you, I won't let you go. You got that thing that I been looking for,' Kimi sang with his eyes still boring into Seb's. His expression hadn't changed, but he made no intention to break their eye contact. He just kept looking at Seb, which resulted in Seb turning more crimson by the second. 'And you got a heart full of gold. And that's really turning me on,' when he sang the last words a small smile curved his lips and if you hadn't paid close attention, you would have missed it.

Seb however hadn't missed it and his heart jumped in response. He felt his blood rush through his body and the sensation that small smile had caused made it difficult to breath. It was just a song, he told himself. These words meant nothing, nothing at all, right? He was still gazing into Kimi's eyes and he spotted yet another change. They glittered, yes, a twinkle was definitely there. It brightened up his whole face and Seb was sure his chest was going to explode as a result from his heart beating this fast.

'You are, you are, you are, you are, you are. Everything that I dreamed of, now we can paint our picture. You are, you are, you are, you are, you are. Making my life much greener,' Kimi continued in his monotone voice. While he sang these words his expression had softened, showing a few crinkles in the corners of his eyes. His eyes were still on Sebastian's and other people had started to notice. Kimi didn't seem to be aware of this, or didn't mind, because he shot Sebastian a rare smile.

A smile, a genuine smile. Seb felt his stomach lurch and it was like the sun was suddenly shining. He grabbed the sides of the stool he was sitting on, to keep his hands from shaking. He knew his cheeks were bright red and that everyone could see him like this, but if that meant he could keep looking at Kimi, it was all worth it. Some people would be put off by the small wrinkles on Kimi's forehead, but to him it showed a certain amount of maturity. Someone who had been through a lot and therefore knew exactly which things were worth his time and which were able to bring him joy. He couldn't help but smile back at Kimi and bite his lip, to keep himself from showing too much eagerness.

Suddenly a broader smile appeared on Kimi's face and the way he gazed into Seb's eyes got more intense. 'Just say you feel the way that I feel. I'm feeling sexual, so we should be sexual,' he sang with his voice sounding lower this time around. He was still sitting on his stool, but his unfazed demeanour had changed. He had straightened his back and the stoic expression on his face had disappeared. It had made place for something friendlier, like he had just broken down some walls. The hunger in his eyes couldn't be denied anymore and with every line he sang he made sure to lay focus on the word 'sexual.'

He couldn't believe if his eyes and ears were deceiving him, but Seb felt suddenly rooted the spot. The sound of his friends' exciting voices were almost drowned out and he was sure that if he spoke now, he couldn't come up with anything sensible to say. His mouth had gone dry and it felt like the thin shirt he was wearing was scorching his skin. How he was able to keep sitting upward, he wasn't sure, as it felt like he had lost the control of all his limbs. All his senses were triggered and a familiar feeling in his trousers started to make them uncomfortably tight. His ragged breathing made him feel dizzy and he could only think about if Kimi was experiencing the same problems. Problems he would be happy to solve, yes, he definitely wouldn't mind to solve those.

'Just say you feel the way that I feel. I'm feeling sexual, so we should be sexual,' Kimi's last words trailed off when his eyes had wandered from Seb's face and had now noticed the quite obvious bulge in Seb's trousers. His white porcelain skin had turned a pale pink, his lips were slightly parted and it was the closest to flustered Kimi had looked all evening. He seemed to have forgotten that he was singing as he lowered the microphone. His eyes were focussed on that particular part of Seb and a cunning smile took over his face. He suddenly seemed years younger and it looked like a burden had been lifted of his shoulders, like he had stopped thinking for a second and his true feelings were finally shining true.

The adventurous feeling Seb had felt on the podium returned when he saw what for an effect he had on the Iceman. He couldn't understand why though, because he was nothing special, but boy did it make him feel good. He leant back so he could rest against the bar, but at the same time provide a better view for Kimi. Now he was glad that he had worn a tight shirt today and that he regularly hit the gym, as his abs were clearly visible through the fabric. He nonchalantly ran his fingers through his blonde hair while casually licking his lips.

Seb's actions resulted in the same expression on Kimi's face when he had addressed him during his performance and the song still continued without Kimi even remotely trying to finish it. When people started to shout for him to continue, he looked at the crowd and without saying anything stood up. He walked to the side of the stage, went down the small steps and handed Stefano the microphone. This resulted in a lot of boos from the crowd, but Kimi only seemed to frown at that. He turned around and looked to have his mind set on something, because his eyes were fixed on one thing in particular, or better said, someone in particular.

Of course he hadn't joined in with the booing, although Seb also was surprised by Kimi's sudden decision to stop. He followed Kimi with his eyes when he walked off the stage and tried to read the body language. He didn't know if it was something he had done, if he had wronged Kimi in any way and he suddenly felt self-conscious again. However, when he looked up again his eyes immediately locked with the now very familiar blue eyes. Each time it happened it still caused his heart to skip a beat and it was difficult to control his breathing. Kimi was walking towards the bar and then it suddenly clicked, he was coming to him. His eyes widened and shock made it impossible for him to move. The only thing he could do was stare at Kimi and watch him coming closer with every step he took.

They hadn't been this close before and Seb was sure that it was only now he could see the true beauty that Kimi radiated. His shoulders looked broader, his strong arms more muscular up close, his skin wasn't as smooth as Seb thought it would be but it showed his spirit to fight, his hair looked clean and golden and his lips, damn his lips, they looked the softest he had ever seen. With each step Kimi took Seb discovered another detail which made him even more attractive, he could now finally read what the tattoo in his left arm said. Iceman, that brought I smile to Seb's face, it showed Kimi had at least found peace with his past. When he tore his eyes away from Kimi's arm and looked up again, he was astonished by the fact that Kimi had came this close without him noticing exactly how close that was. Their eyes met again and when Kimi took a step closer, he could just see the different shades of blue hiding in his eyes, before Kimi took his hand and pulled him out of his chair.

Surprised by this Seb struggled to get to his feet and almost fell over, but Kimi's strong arms prevented that from happening. It felt like his skin was on fire there were Kimi was touching him and he didn't even notice that he was holding his breath. He wasn't able to think straight anymore and the lust in Kimi's eyes made him get even harder, which meant that Kimi was almost surely able to feel it pressing against his leg. He felt the blood rushing to his cheeks, but that thought was also a massive turn on. He could see a knowing smile playing on Kimi's lips which meant he was probably right.

At that moment Kimi suddenly leant in and put his soft lips on his own, with a tenderness Seb hadn't expected. He responded immediately, surprising himself and he forgot that they were in a crowded bar and that the attention of everyone present was on them both. The sensation of finally kissing those smooth lips was better than he had imagined all evening. The warmth of Kimi's mouth and the taste of Vodka still lingering on his lips reminded him of the first time he had seen him in the restaurant. The kiss was saying so many things in ways words could never do, it made doing anything other than this irrelevant. When Kimi pulled him closer and pushed his body against his own he felt rooted to the spot and it was only when he heard the crowd cheering and whistling that he realised what was going on. He was kissing the best looking guy in the bar, without ever having spoken a word to each other. It was different from anything he had experienced in life, so unlike the person Red Bull had turned him into and it felt good, so damn good. It felt like he had finally broken out of the cage that had kept him captivated for so long, joy was filling his heart and the swing of his emotions finally made him feel something again.

He responded to Kimi quickening the pace of their kiss by putting one of his hands in Kimi's sandy hair, earning him a moan in reply. Seb pressed his body closer against Kimi's when he heard that moan slip from his lips, because it was a massive turn on. In the spur of the moment he put his other hand boldly on Kimi's butt and was almost sure that Kimi would protest. He didn't, he just grunted and bit on Seb's bottom lip. He could now also feel Kimi's erection pressing against his own leg and it took all his effort to not just let one of his hands move south and make Kimi produce more of those dirty sounds. The heat coming from their bodies had made Kimi's cheeks turn a dark pink and Seb was sure he had never seen anything hotter than that. He squeezed his butt again and let his tongue explore Kimi's mouth a little bit more eager, wanting to taste more of that sweet Vodka and enjoy the way Kimi seemed to know exactly what he needed to do. He felt himself getting dizzy from the lack of oxygen and when they finally broke apart, they gazed into each other's eyes until the crowd started to applaud and cheer.

All the eyes in the bar were focussed on them and it made Seb blush from shyness. He wasn't used to this kind of attention, especially when he had just been kissed by someone. He blinked a few times to get his head around everything, the fact that Kimi just had walked off stage and kissed him out of nowhere was still as unbelievable as before. The fact that Kimi was still standing in front of him, with a satisfied half smile playing on his those now swollen lips kind of confirmed that it hadn't just been a dream. He still didn't know what to say to him, but they had already said so many things to each other by their touches and gazing into each other's eyes that it didn't feel like he should say anything at all. Just looking at Kimi was enough for him.

Kimi then took a step closer to Seb again, which spurred on the crowd to cheer them on some more. He brought his head closer to Seb's, but this time to whisper something in his ear. His warm breath tickled Seb's skin when he spoke and his voice was so low that only Seb could hear him. 'You got something that I ain't seen before. You've opened a million doors. All I can say is I adore you,' he whispered while he wrapped one of his arms around Seb's waist. He pressed a tender kiss on the curve of Seb's neck and took a step back again, to be able to look at him with those bedroom eyes.

The feeling of Kimi's strong arms wrapped around him was still on Seb's mind when their eyes connected again. It felt like he had suddenly been set on fire and he craved to have that body pressed against him once more. To finally hear Kimi's voice had caused another round of goose bumps, making him realise that it was the first time that Kimi had actually spoken to him. This time his voice had been far from monotone and Seb couldn't believe it could sound this seductive. Without thinking he cupped Kimi's face and before Kimi could react, kissed him again. This time he didn't wait for it to be tender and slow, he eagerly pressed his body against Kimi's again and sucked the Finn's bottom lip between his teeth. Feeling a hand in his hair tugging impatiently on a few strands as a response told him that he hadn't been the only one wanting this to happen again. It took Seb the greatest effort to not get too carried away, because he needed to keep reminding himself that they weren't alone.

When he felt Kimi's hand suddenly making his way from his back to the front of his trousers an explosion of nerves which had been on the edge all evening made him close his eyes and moan out loud. He didn't think he had ever felt something like this before, the sensation of floating through the air and pure bliss took over his body, but then he gasped and opened his eyes in shock. The smug look on Kimi's face made him go instantly red and although Kimi had been discrete, the fact that someone could have noticed made him feel flustered. He couldn't believe what Kimi had just done and it showed him that still waters run deep.

'You got something that I ain't seen before. Hold me 'cause baby, I'm yours,' Kimi then whispered in Seb's ear again with the widest grin of the whole evening. He winked and then let go of Seb, turning back to the bar. Antonio Spagnolo, the barman, wolf whistled and started cheering with the bottle of Vodka he had just used to pour some shots still in his hands. Nico and Lewis who were the ones who had ordered the Vodka high fived each other and then ruffled Kimi's hair, as a way to show him their congratulations. Kimi only shrugged, but it was clear that he was chuffed and pretty damn content with what had just happened.

In the mean time Seb was slapped on his back by Daniel, Jev and Dany. 'That was so hot, I was on the verge of taking my shirt off to cool down,' Jev remarked and his broad grin was copied by his friends.

'I'm not gay, but damn, you know how to lead a guy on,' Daniel agreed and he pulled Seb into a hug, squeezing him in the process.

Seb grinned, it was a nice change to hear his friends praise him for something like this. He had other things on his mind though than hearing his friends out and with a determined look on his face, turned back to the bar where Kimi was still surrounded by people wanting to say something on the subject. Seb straightened his back, fixed his trousers as they were still way too tight because of nature doing its job and ran his fingers through his hair. He looked back at his friends a final time, winked and then resolutely walked back to the bar. There was something he needed to finish.

He had recognised the song Kimi had sang on stage and the way he had tried to finish it when he had came over to him at the bar, whispering the lines into his ear. He however hadn't finished the last one, so now it was his turn to say these last words. 'Oh, I can't wait until we get home,' he whispered in Kimi's ear.

This caused Kimi to turn around and look at him, stunned and with his lips slightly parted. He seemed to swallow with difficulty and he played with the sunglasses which were hanging from the collar of his white shirt. He blinked a few times and then a cheeky grin appeared on his face. He looked back at Antonio, nodded and then stood up. He grabbed Seb's hand while looking into his eyes, showing the hunger and impatience in his own. He grunted when Seb licked his lips and pulled him towards the exit, not waiting for him to say anything. When they were at the door he suddenly stopped and turned back to Seb. 'Let's get home then,' he said resolutely with a sly smile, before putting his hand on Seb's groin again and giving it a teasing rub.

'I can't wait,' Seb answered in an unsteady voice before he leant in for a kiss. He was a hot mess and it took all his effort to not just undress Kimi there and then. He was longing to properly put his hands on his body, exploring every perfect detail of that manly posture. He was the luckiest guy on earth right now and he was sure that there was nothing better in life than his. He then teasingly bit Kimi's lip before dragging him out of the door, ready for whatever was going to happen next.


End file.
